The museum sprawls down a mountainside, covering a geological site containing fossils of dinosaur eggs laid 80 million years ago. First discovered in 1995, the eggs are distributed across a 10 square kilometre site in Hubei Province.
Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s Baofeng Li, Jianmin Ding and Changshun Xu designed the museum to adapt to Hubei province’s mountainous terrain and the location of dinosaur eggs distributed over an area of 10 square kilometers. The 70-meter-long building also pays homage to its more recent past with a roof made from reclaimed tiles left by local villagers and preservation of the natural site, including the undulating terrain and the 800-year-old trees. The double facade of tiles and concrete helps keep the museum naturally cool.